News
A Focus on: Sarah Gilmartin, Artists Training & Dev.
What is your connection with Creativity Works?
I am the new Artists Training and Development Manager for Creativity Works’ CoCreate Programme.
How did you first come across Creativity Works?
Through my work as a Dance and Arts for Health Officer in Surrey, I was developing Cultural Commissioning and Social Prescribing and Creativity Works have been leading in both areas.
What made you want to work with this organisation?
I feel passionately about the ability of engagement in a creative process through a participant/person centred approach to support individuals and communities to enable change and improve health and wellbeing. To do this well we need to support artists to develop their skills to be able to facilitate this process as I think it is only truly successful when it’s a high quality creative experience which requires the artists to be great specialists in their art form/s as well as great facilitators – hence I am excited about my new role!
Which projects have you been involved with / how have you helped support Creativity Works?
The project I will be working on is CoCreate which will cross over many CW projects as we support artists and their development and training.
What have you enjoyed the most about working with Creativity Works?
I am looking forward to being part of a vibrant Socially Engaged Artist community filled with debate, discussion and learning that enables artists to explore, develop and grow.
What have you found surprising about Creativity Works?
The breadth of what it does and the wealth of knowledge and experience it holds.
In what way has Creativity Works been of value or support to you?
It supports my goals of enabling more people to take part in a creative activity.
What has been your biggest professional, personal or creative achievement to date?
I am very proud of Surrey Dance Fest which took over GLive a large theatre complex in Guildford Surrey for a day, it offered opportunities for families and people of all ages and abilities to dance together, artists to create short site responsive solos around the building which aimed to demonstrate their ‘Creative Voice’, some large commissions including ‘Grass’ which took real turf into the Board Room and a commission by Katie Green involving 90 school children from 5 to 16 years of age – it was by far the best performance of a community dance piece I have seen and I am convinced it was due to Katie’s ability to get the children to create, own and perform the material with pride and confidence. The whole building came alive, it was a huge undertaking but I am proud of the opportunities it provided.
Katie Green’s Imagination Museum, a family performance is at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery on 22 October 11am,1pm,3pm
Do you have any creative aspirations for the future (with or without Creativity Works)?
I would love to see dance and creativity become part of people’s everyday lives again and enable more opportunities to see young and old dancing together.